2017 Game To Be Played on Saturday, Dec. 23

For the second straight year, the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be played on December 23, officials announced today. The 15th anniversary of the postseason bowl game will be contested at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) on Saturday, Dec. 23, and the matchup will be on ESPN.

“We are excited that our game will be played on the Saturday before Christmas this year,” said Brant Ringler, executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. “It truly is an ideal afternoon window for us to be able to showcase our patriotic event and the great city of Fort Worth during the holiday season to our participating teams and fans as well as our national television audience.”

The annual game, played in honor of the armed forces of the United States, is the only collegiate football bowl game that has hosted all three U.S. Military Academy football teams. The U.S. Military Academy (2010), the U.S. Air Force Academy (2007-2009, 2012, 2015) and the U.S. Naval Academy (2013, 2016) have all previously participated in the bowl.

Last year’s game saw the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defeat the Navy Midshipmen 48-45, on a field goal as time expired in front of a crowd of 40,542. Following the bowl season, it was rated as the third-best bowl game by CBSSports.com and the fourth-best bowl game by ESPN.com.

The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl has featured the “armed forces” theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the service are prevalent throughout the game. Past Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest adventure areas showcasing armed forces hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military's top skydiving teams; custom homes awarded to wounded warriors; on-field induction ceremonies; armed forces bands and honor guards; and the annual Great American Patriot Award presented by Armed Forces Insurance.

The 2017 edition will be the sixth time in the event’s history to be played on December 23, having previously played on the date from 2003-06, and 2016. The game has also been played on Dec. 29 (2012, 2015), Dec. 30 (2010-11, 2013), Dec. 31 (2007-09) and Jan. 2 (2015).

The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl is one of 13 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.

15h Anniversary Logo Unveiled

The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl is proud to be celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2017. The annual game, which debuted in TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium in 2002, has been played in honor of the armed forces since 2006. It is the only collegiate football bowl game to host all three U.S. Military Academy football teams.

To commemorate the special year, a 15th anniversary logo for the bowl has been created and will be used throughout the year leading up to the big game on December 23.

ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 13 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.